On March 3, 2025, 25 families-totaling 91 individuals-were resettled by the Azerbaijani side in the occupied village of Haterk in Artsakh. This resettlement occurred within the "Return to the Liberated Territories" program (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcIM5MsyuBo). In the video, it is claimed that these resettled individuals are allegedly native residents of the village. Such a statement is, to say the least, surprising, given that census data from the Soviet era document the ethnic composition of the settlement, and no Azerbaijanis were recorded in Haterk. The village has consistently been home to an Armenian population, corroborated by census data from the late 19th century. According to 2018 data, 1,544 inhabitants resided in Haterk (Balayan 2020, 314).

Haterk village in Artsakh is one of the region's ancient settlements. Armenian written and epigraphic sources from the 12th to 15th centuries repeatedly refer to the Principality of Haterk, with its center bearing the same name (Petrosyan, Kirakosyan, Safaryan 2009, 11-21). The settlement of Haterk was an important station on the historical Dvin–Partav road, as noted by 10th-century Arab authors al-Istakhri, Ibn Hawqal, and al-Muqaddasi (Манандян 1985, 171-175). Haterk village and its surroundings are rich in numerous monuments that, following Artsakh's complete depopulation of Armenians in 2023, now face the threat of destruction. Located in the center of the village is the 17th-century Church of the Holy Mother of God (Surb Astvatsatsin), distinguished by its unique khachkars. For more details on the church, see here.

In depopulated Haterk, the Azerbaijani side has already destroyed the monument dedicated to the victims of the Great Patriotic War and vandalized the village's fraternal cemetery. Since 2023, dozens of videos have emerged online showing the looting of houses in Haterk village.

Our response

The resettlement of Azerbaijani residents in Haterk poses a threat to the monuments located in and around the village—an issue already apparent from developments over the last two years. It is worth recalling the fate of monuments in formerly Armenian settlements that Azerbaijanis resettled during the Soviet period: they were destroyed and distorted. This fact was repeatedly documented even in Soviet times. Simultaneously, by resettling Azerbaijanis in Artsakh's ancient historical settlement, there appears to be a deliberate effort to fabricate the region's historical and cultural environment and to construct a new historical narrative.

Azerbaijan's policy contravenes several international conventions that protect historical monuments and cultural heritage by prohibiting their intentional destruction, falsification, or unlawful alteration. Specifically, Article 4 of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict obligates states to take all possible measures to preserve and safeguard cultural heritage (https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/hague-conv-1954/article-4a). Moreover, under Article 5 of the same convention, High Contracting Parties that have occupied all or part of the territory of another High Contracting Party shall, as far as possible, support the competent national authorities of the occupied territory in safeguarding its cultural property. In cases where cultural property situated in occupied territory has been damaged during military operations and requires urgent protection, and if national authorities are unable to provide it, the occupying power is obliged to take, to the extent possible, all necessary measures to preserve such property—acting in close cooperation with those authorities (https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/hague-conv-1954/article-5a?activeTab=).

Similarly, the European Cultural Convention of 1954 also requires states to protect national and international cultural assets, regardless of geographical or political affiliation. According to Article 1 of this convention, states must ensure the preservation of cultural heritage under their jurisdiction, and Article 5 mandates that they refrain from actions that may lead to the destruction or distortion of another people's cultural heritage (https://rm.coe.int/168006457e). Notably, since April 25, 1997, Azerbaijan has been a party to this convention and is therefore obligated to protect the common cultural heritage of humanity (https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list?module=signatures-by-treaty&treatynum=018).

Bibliography

1. Petrosyan, H., Kirakosyan, L., Safaryan, V. (2009).The Handaberd Monastery and its Excavations. Yerevan.
2. Balayan, V. (2020). Outlines of the History of the Settlements of the Republic of Artsakh. Yerevan.
3. Manandyan, Y. (1985). On Trade and Cities of Armenia in Connection with World Trade from Ancient Times (5th c. BC–15th c. AD), Works, Vol. 7. Yerevan.